


Also Tomb Raider

by catsaremyboyfriend



Series: Asexual Snuggle Buddies [13]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-06 16:04:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3140369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsaremyboyfriend/pseuds/catsaremyboyfriend
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>found some extra stuff when i was packing up for school, decided to put it here because i didn't want to ruin the ending of the last one. anyway this should be the last</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He dies a _lot_. Obviously not for real, but he disappears, or goes to other dimensions, or gets kidnapped. He always finds a way back.  
He walks into their apartment and Kate’s crying. It’s been two months. Alternate dimensions _suck_. Bucky and Nat were still in the Red Room and Kate was dead. He spent his whole time there hollow, longing for the feel of her shoulders under his hands, her steady confidence.

He watches her sob and takes a step forward. “Katie.” She turns, is up and in his arms with one fluid movement. Her face is wet. He swallows and presses his jaw to her temple. “M’sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“You goddamn bastard,” she hisses, pushing closer til his back hits the door. “I went to your funeral. _Again_. And every time it hurts more, cause eventually it’s gonna be for real, and…” She takes a deep, shuddering breath. 

“Katie. Kate. Shush,” he whispers, petting her hair. 

“I am nothing without you, Clint. I have _nothing_.”

“I know. It’s the same for me.” 

She moves back, wiping at her face. “Come on. Lucky missed you, too.”  
____________________________________  
Bruce comes up to him when he’s doing arm presses. Clint’s immediately nervous, because Bruce doesn’t need to work out, and they’re not good enough friends for unnecessary gym visits. He’s also always the bearer of bad news.

Clint smiles anyway, puts the weights down. “What’s up, pal?”

“Look, Tony and Steve wanted me to talk to you, and it’s…uh. None of their business, but you know how they are.” 

“Okay,” he says, bracing himself. Is someone quitting the team again? He’ll put good money on Wanda, she’s flighty as hell. 

“You’re pretty codependent with Kate Bishop. Is all.” He pushes his glasses up his nose, and now Clint knows why they sent Bruce. Clint won’t punch the Hulk. 

He calms himself down, because he’s not seventeen anymore, and they mean well. “I dunno how that’s anyone’s business,” he tells him, bending to do stretches. 

“Uh, yes, well. That’s true,” Bruce says, always trying to keep the peace. It’s one of his good traits. 

“Kate is Kate. I’ll die for her. Kill for her. She’d do the same for me.” Bucky understands, he thinks. Some people are just built obsessive. “If she dies, I die.”  
That’s the truth. Kate can live on alone, she has before, but he’s all wrapped up in her. He’s died before, anyway. Wasn’t so bad. 

“Okay, I’ll…tell Tony and Steve that.” He waves a hand and goes back to working out.  
____________________________________  
“Stop!” Kate calls out when he walks in the door. He closes it fast as something large and wet slams into his legs. She comes skidding into the room, covered in bubbles. “Oh thank God, you caught him,” she pants, grabbing Lucky by the collar. 

He looks up at Clint with the angriest expression he’s ever seen on a dog. Clint holds his hands up. “Hey, she’s the one who decided on impromptu bath time.” Kate hauls Lucky back to the bathroom while Clint follows, amused.

They have pizza after. Clint feeds the crusts to Lucky, who’s wrapped in a towel and smells of lavender. Kate smells good, too, tucked against his side. She hasn’t really stopped touching him since he came back. He understands.  
They try not to feed Lucky too much pizza anymore, cause the vet said something about cholesterol, but Lucky’s been tortured enough for today. He turns on the TV and grabs another slice.


	2. Avengers Assemble

He _hates_ funerals. He knows he’s not alone, that Kate hates them too, has since her mom’s funeral where everyone was cold and empty. They’ve both been to too many. She spends the whole time clutching at his hand.

They should be used to this by now. They’re in the hero business, people die. It’s one of Xavier’s students, though, and that’s hard. They’re so _young_ , and he knows, in his head, that Kate is, too, but Kate chose this. Mutants can’t choose. 

The dead kid has pale pink skin, fangs. Doc Ock, Kate tells him, got the boy by the throat and squeezed. His friends are sobbing, arms around each other, one of them letting out hypersonic wails. Xavier’s stone faced, Logan looks a hundred years old. Which he is, or older, only Clint usually can’t tell.

Storm gives a heartfelt speech, but Clint’s heard shit like it a hundred times, so he tunes her out and leans against Kate. She puts a hand on his knee and holds tight.

They get home and Clint flops face down on the bed, pretends he’s not sniffling. The fabric smells like them, comforting, until Clint inhales a dog hair and starts sneezing. Kate follows, sprawls out half on top of him. Her hair tickles his ear.

“That _sucked_ ,” she says into the quilt, sounding teary. 

He reaches up to tangle his fingers in the hair at the base of her skull. “They always suck,” he mutters back. 

“Don’t ever leave me, okay?” 

“I never will,” he swears.

He wakes to hands on his neck, reacts instinctively. Rolls, pins the person under him. It’s just Kate, her pupils blown wide. Panicking. He should know by now, she checks his pulse when she’s nervous.

He lets go of her wrists, cups her face with a hand instead. He grabs for his aides with the other, puts one into his ear. “-so still, Clint, they’re always so still.” 

“S’alright, Katie, it’s okay, promise,” he soothes into her hair. It’s not okay, it’s never gonna be okay, but they’ll get on. That’s what they do. 

She eventually stops trembling, digs her fingers into his ribs. “Alright, alright, you big softie, let me go.” He squeezes her tight, lets her up.

Panic attacks happen a lot, both of them have PTSD or something, Clint wasn’t listening to his therapist. “There are a few of Darcy’s scones in the fridge,” he says, getting up to his elbows. 

She gives him a thumbs up without looking back. They turn on all the lights and eat at the kitchen table, her chilly toes pressed against his ankle.   
_________________________________________________  
“Clint, if you don’t stop jiggling, you’re gonna lose that leg,” Nat says under her breath, pulling a knife out of fucking _nowhere_. Her and Bucky, both with the magic knives. Jesus. 

“Nat, I know you’re tense, but threatening bodily harm isn’t nice.” 

She gives him a thin slice of a smile. “I’m not nice.” 

“Both you and Bucky have said that to me like eight times, but I know for a _fact_ that you guys help old ladies across the street.” She scoffs and crosses her legs. 

Clint keeps touching the arrowhead of Kate’s that he keeps in a pocket. Nat can’t make fun of him though, cause she has her palm curled around her thigh, thumb constantly brushing the place where her soulmark is. They’re doing Avengers work, off to fight Hyperion. 

Clint misses spy work, just him and Nat pretending to be other people, like a game. They’re too well known by now. Nat still goes out sometimes, carefully disguised, but it’s not the same. Clint risks a glance at Bruce, who’s hunched over, fists on his knees. The tips of his ears are green.

Thor is whistling, rubbing a cloth over his hammer. It gleams already, but he’s weird about it. Sam’s talking quietly with Cap and Bucky while Stark tinkers with Bucky’s arm. Stark loves to tinker. Janet’s shrunk down and flitting from teammate to teammate. 

Clint holds out a hand and she lands on his fingertips. “Hey, Jan. Is that a new outfit?” She preens and nods. “Looks good.”

He carefully touches her head with a finger and she laughs, then flies off. He settles back into his seat and grins at Nat as she ties her hair back.   
___________________________________  
Clint wakes up, disentangles himself from Kate, and walks out to find _two_ people on his couch. Cap and Bucky. Bucky’s on his back, head on the armrest, metal arm wrapped firmly around Cap, who’s on top of him. They’re both wearing pajamas, sweats and t-shirts.

Cap makes a soft, snuffling noise and pushes his nose into Bucky’s chest. Jesus, that’s just unfair. When Clint was a kid, starving and alone, he never imagined that he’d have his idol on his couch, sleepy and sun warmed. Lucky’s curled over their feet, nose in his paws. 

“So, why are you guys on my couch?” he asks, stepping back as Bucky’s eyes snap open. “Hey, no, it’s just me,” he yelps when Bucky unholsters his gun.

Kate comes up behind him, loops her arms around his waist. “Hey, Bucky.” 

Bucky relaxes, puts a hand on the small of Cap’s back. “Banner freaked. Broke up the tower. We can crash here.” 

Anyone who didn’t know Bucky would think that wasn’t a question. “Yeah, of course,” Clint answers. Cap’s an excellent houseguest, totally makes up for Bucky’s penchant of glaring at everything. Cap makes _pancakes_. What more could they ask for?  
____________________________________  
“You rely too much on dumb luck,” Kate spits, and he never knew putting a Band-Aid on could be so violent. 

“ _Kate_ ,” he whines, pushing weakly at her hands. 

“Oh, I’m Clint Barton, and I think it’s _so_ smart to go up alone against like eighty Skrulls, cause that’s gonna end well,” she mocks, and he pouts.

“Aw, Kate.”

She rubs a hand along his head and sighs. “Just be careful.”


	3. Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> found some extra stuff when i was packing up for school, decided to put it here because i didn't want to ruin the ending of the last one. anyway this should be the last

“That…could have gone better,” Clint says from his place on the ground. 

“How do you think I feel?” Kate hisses, her fingertips crackling with electricity. He kinda likes it; magical is a good look on her.

“Strange said it’s just-” 

“-the residual after effects of eldritch doings,” Kate quotes, helping him up. This time, she doesn’t accidentally shock him.

“They’ll be gone in two days,” he reassures, patting her arm. Blue sparks leap from her skin to his, raising the hairs on his arm. It doesn’t hurt, only tingles along his spine. 

“Gone in two days,” Kate repeats, leaning against him. Since it’s Kate, he ignores the static shock and just holds on.  
+  
+  
Clint shoots, rolls, looks to Kate. She’s on one knee, shooting steady arrows at Mysterio, who’s riding a giant dinosaur. Clint’s life is _ridiculous_. He moves to Kate as Mysterio’s hologram falls, catches a man sneaking up on her. “Kate!” he screams, but she’s already turning, swiping at the man’s knees with her bow. He yelps and falls over.

“What the hell are you _doing?_ ” she yells, straddling his chest, arrow dangerously close to his eyeball.

“Mysterio’s my soulmate,” he wheezes, scrabbling at the pavement, shutting his eyes. “You can’t hurt him.” 

Kate hesitates, glancing at Clint with questioning eyes. _What do I do?_ She mouths, relaxing her arm and putting her bow away.

Clint shrugs; he’s always wondered what happens if your soulmate is a villain. He heard that some girl from his hometown was Marked by Asp, but he never checked up on it. He figures he’d go evil; they’re soulmates for a reason. “Arrest him, too?” Clint tries. He sometimes feels like he’s a step behind most people. Nat would probably know what to do here. Then again, to judge himself by Nat’s standards would be insane.

Kate nods sharply, drags the man up by his wrists, and tugs him towards the nearest cop.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this is a bit angsty, i dunno why but rereading it, it kinda seems like im leading up to clint killing himself and i promise im not, i would never do that to you guys who read this (i mean i hope some people read this) anyway this story is my baby so it's all good. OH SHITE AND ALSO I FORGOT TO SAY THAT FROM NOW ON THESE WILL BE IN CHAPTERS SO THEY'LL BE EASIER TO TAG


End file.
